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Charlie's Aunt
Info Charley's Aunt is a farce in three acts written by Brandon Thomas. It broke all historic records for plays of any kind, with an original London run of 1,466 performances. The play was first performed at the Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds on 29 February 1892. It was produced by former D'Oyly Carte Opera Company actor, W. S. Penley, a friend of Thomas's, who appeared in the principal role of Lord Fancourt Babberly. Thomas himself played Sir Francis Chesney. The piece was a success, and it then opened in London at the Royalty Theatre on 21 December 1892 and quickly transferred to the larger Globe Theatre on 30 January 1893 to complete its record-breaking run. It opened on Broadway at the Standard Theatre on 2 October 1893, where it ran for another historic long run of four years. The play also toured internationally (with long runs in Paris and elsewhere) and was revived extensively. Story Charley Wykeham and Jack Chesney are undergraduates at Oxford University. They need a chaperon so they can entertain Amy Spettigue and Kitty Verdun, respectively the niece and ward of Stephen Spettigue, an Oxford solicitor. Charley receives word from his guardian that his Aunt whom he has never met or spoken to in his life is coming to visit him and that she is coming by train any time now. The boys grab this opportunity and send a note to Amy & Kitty saying that they are invited for lunch to meet Charley's Aunt, Donna Lucia d’Alvadorez, who is a rich and widowed aunt from Brazil ("where the nuts come from"). All is going well until Charley's Aunt sends a telegram to say that she has been detained on business, and not to expect her for a few days. The boys start to panic and persuade their friend, Lord Fancourt Babberly ("Babbs"), to masquerade as Charley's aunt. This leads to amusement as the audience sees him transformed into the eccentric, elderly "aunt". Jack arranges luncheon with their lady friends, as if it were really Charley's Aunt whom they were introducing to their girls; as Charley and Jack intend to declare their love to their sweethearts at some convenient point during the lunch appointment, they want Lord Fancourt right out of the way, so they invite Jack's unsuspecting father to lunch as well. The problem is that Lord Fancourt isn't interested in Jack's father and he flirts with the girls, which leads to outrageous comedy as the boys struggle to contain themselves from beating the "confounded fool" to a pulp themselves in front of the girls. Just when everything is going well, the real Charley's Aunt, (who is not the dotty dowager as imagined by Lord Fancourt, but an attractive woman of middle age), arrives with her adopted 'niece' Miss Ela Delahay. The story takes a twist as Ela is an orphan and her father died a little while ago, but before he did, he played cards. Ela's father, who was never any good at cards, amazingly won enough money to "make her independent for life". The name of the man from whom he won the money was none other than Lord Fancourt Babberly! Ela recollects the short romance that the two of them had to her embarrassment. Then Donna Lucia recollects a memory of her own, about a romance she had 20 years ago, at a ball, with a man named Francis Chesney, Jack's father. Whilst Francis, or Frank as he is later referred to, is hung up on the fake Donna Lucia, he realizes that the real Donna Lucia, or Lucy as she was pre-marriage, is the woman he met overseas 20 years before at a dance a day before he was shipped out with his regiment. Yet, when Frank tells the real Donna Lucia, not knowing that she is Donna Lucia, that she is 'already here and she should come and meet her' Donna Lucia does not give her real name but gives the name of Mrs. Beverley-Smythe. When Stephen Spettigue enters he is introduced to the fake Donnia Lucia, the "millionaire". He instantly falls for her. Lord Fancourt's job is to get letters of consent from Spettigue for the boys' marriages, but in the process Spettigue ends up engaged to "Donna Lucia". In the end it all comes out as Spettigue tells everyone he is marrying "Donna Lucia" and the boys are getting married. However, Charley says he can't lie anymore, and tells all to Spettigue. Jack tries to help, but Spettigue is unstoppable and goes into an embarrassed rage and demands the letter back from the uncovered Fancourt, this is where the real Donna Lucia reveals herself. She takes the letter and clearly states "this letter is addressed to and has been delivered to Donna Lucia d’Alvadorez", Spettigue storms off after a momentary shock, saying he'll dispute it. Then Amy, being his niece, is upset at everyone for making a fool of him but Donna Lucia reassures her that everything will be fine, and gives the girls the letters. Lord Fancourt also ends up talking to Ela and in the end, Sir Francis & Donna Lucia are engaged, Jack is with Kitty, and Charley with Amy, and Ela ends up with Lord Fancourt, who resigns to Sir Francis Chesney "All Claims to Charley's Aunt!" Cast Jack Chesney - Steve Pannell Brassett - Tony Makey Charley Wykeham - Ashley Banister Lord Fancourt Babberley - Derek Williams Kitty Verdun - Joy Covey Amy Spettigue - Helen Badman Sit Francis Chesney - John Covey Stephen Spettigue - Brian Dearlove Donna Lucia D'Alvadorez - Diane Hiblen Ela Delahey - Suzanne Britten Crew Director - Sean Nash Stage Managers - Ricky Davey and Mike Gearing Wardrobe - Bettina Webber Lighting - Kevin Lee Stage Crew - John Perry, John Ives, Erica Webb and Aimy Webb Props - Chrys Crinnall Stage Design and Construction - Ricky Davey, Mike Gearing and Sean Nash Rehersals Refreshments - Tony Makey